LEMONS to the city for tearing up the downtown streets for three or four months while the local businesses languish from inactivity. Get a crew that can work around the clock or do the work at night time. The disconnect between government workers and business owners is astonishing; would love it if they could trade places for a day.

LILACS to Ben Stuckart for dropping the downtown oil train initiative. If a fight can’t be won without huge legal and financial risk to the city, it’s best to find another tack to obtain perhaps the same end game.

LEMONS to the PFD for the third consecutive year for STILL refusing to name the two buildings of the Spokane Convention Center differently. Once again this summer I attended an event and neither I nor any among a cadre of other attendees could figure out which building the event was in. We first tried the door in the east building and then walked en masse on a 98 degree day to the one by the Opera House. Doors locked, so we traipsed back to the east building and found out the event was ensconced somehow under the building and through the dark parking garage. So many people complained and all the staff could do was smile and nod in sympathy. WAKE UP!

LILACS to the nice gentleman who I saw fill an elderly lady’s gas tank. It seems she was widowed and had recently hurt her wrist and she was grateful for the friendly help. Maybe we should all be open for opportunities to serve.

LEMONS to traveling comedians who perform at local comedy clubs using the worst sort of misogynistic humor. Bashing and degrading women isn’t funny. Easy laughs aren’t the way to the big time.

LILACS to Kent Hull who has done so much for a somewhat impoverished part of town, the Iron Bridge district near Trent and Hamilton, and putting up some fine well-constructed buildings in the region.  He wants his stamp on Spokane and he wants to do it with quality, rather than disposable buildings that are practically DESIGNED to be torn down in 20 years.

LEMONADE to Mayor Condon for withdrawing Craig Meidl from consideration for police chief and have him compete with other finalists. Handpicking him and bypassing established processes would have cast a shadow on Meidl and possibly gotten the mayor into even more trouble. This transparent process serves our community much better. May the best candidate win!

LILACS to Adele who singles out concert goers who spend the entire concert looking at their phone or recording the concert. Why did they pay hundreds of dollars and then miss the actual moment? We are also impressed that she turned down the Super Bowl because all she can do is sing, not dance, twerk, contort, or fly through the air. If she ever comes here, let’s all leave our cell phones at home!

LEMONS to the guy I recently saw with several dogs in the back of his pickup who slammed on the brakes and sent the poor dogs sliding across the entire bed and into the back of the cab. They survived but almost certainly were bruised. Let’s keep the dogs inside, folks.